New Writers:
Imagine that I called you up and asked you if you like my outfit. Then I proceeded to text you pictures. One of the toe of my shoe. Another of the hem of my shirt. Another of one of my belt loops.
It would be pretty difficult to (1) figure out what I’m wearing and (2) try to make a judgement about how it looks. Therefore, it would be virtually impossible to appropriately suggest changes.
It’s hard to help when you don’t know the full extent of what you’re dealing with.
When you ask people to read your manuscript a few pages or chapters at a time, a similar issue occurs.
Asking someone to read some middle section of your book is like sending that picture of a shirt hem or a belt loop. It is only a piece of the collective. Yes, people can give you some feedback, doing the best they can with the little they have to work with. But because they haven’t read the full piece, their response to what you gave them may be well outside of the context someone would have if they were buying the book and reading it from beginning to end.
When your book is published, customers likely won’t be reading pages 50 through 65 and then putting the book down forever. They will generally start at the beginning and read the entire book.
By requesting critique on one part of your draft, you risk getting feedback that won’t match the experience that your end reader will go through.
This is why critique groups are a poor substitute for a professional round of developmental editing (or even alpha reading).
Having someone read a couple of thousand words of your book at a time, with gaps of a week or more in between, probably isn’t the way your audience is going to read the book once it’s on the market.
If you are looking for assistance to see if you’re “headed in the right direction,” so to speak, here are a few options to consider.
START AT THE BEGINNING
Even if you’re centrally concerned about a scene more than 5,000 words into the manuscript, request a critique that starts from the beginning and includes the scene you’re worried about. This gives your volunteer / professional the same context as someone who would read the book after it’s been published, even if you’ve only partially written the manuscript. Most of the problems I see with getting piecemeal feedback take place because huge chunks of the earlier portions of the piece are missing. If you always start from the beginning, you can avoid this.
PAYMENT PLAN
If you’re opting for piecemeal critique because of the cost of professional editing, consider asking the professional you want to work with if they are willing to agree to a payment plan. That way, you can get feedback on the entire manuscript, but won’t have to pay the editor’s fee all at once if the amount is too overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to negotiate and advocate for your project. Closed mouths don’t get fed!
CONNECT OUTSIDE OF CRITIQUE GROUPS
You may find that there are people in your critique groups who have the kind of insight you value based on your genre, their demographics, their expertise, etc. It’s okay to ask these people if they will read your entire manuscript instead of just the submissions you present to the group. The worst they can do is refuse (busy parenting, going to school, working, etc.). That leaves you no worse off than you were. But, if they agree, you can get a sneak peek at what someone who purchases your book would experience if you published it today. This knowledge can be invaluable when it comes to crafting your work, especially for a specific audience (new adults, entrepreneurs, octogenarians, etc.).
GET OUTLINE FEEDBACK
If you’ve created an outline of what you’re going to write, you could get a professional critique of the outline (I personally LOVE doing these, and I’m certain you can find a decent developmental editor who would be willing to help!). This allows you to get another set of eyes on the concept and avoid some of the major plot holes, character development struggles, and other “big picture” content issues that tend to pop up while writing. If you’ve ever wondered if your idea was “worth writing,” getting your concept reviewed in outline form can be a timesaving, headache-reducing step. As a bonus, since outlines are exponentially shorter than narratives, you’d end up paying a lot less for an editor to review your outline (and prevent problems) than you would for them to review your entire manuscript (and repair problems).
Check out the manuscript evaluation and critique group lessons to learn more about getting feedback for your manuscript.
